Black Eyed Peas’ Will.i.am was spotted at the premiere for the movie “Rio” at the Grauman Chinese Theater in Hollywood, where he answered a few questions regarding his recent work with 2NE1 and their upcoming English album. Check it out below:

According to Will.i.am, 2NE1 has already recorded eight songs for the album, and are two songs away from releasing the album. To be honest, I didn’t want to get too excited about this whole 2NE1-Will.i.am deal because, well, look what happened to JYJ and Kanye. The difference here, though, is that a) 2NE1 is being backed by a comparatively unshady management company, and b) Will.i.am seems to be genuinely invested in his work with 2NE1. I don’t think Kanye really cared about JYJ to begin with. Did I say that out loud? Oh yes, yes I did.

It makes me supremely nervous to see K-pop artists debuting stateside, because the whole venture has been littered with failure all over. The odds are certainly against 2NE1 and Will.i.am. However, the two (2NE1 and Will.i.am) compliment each other very well in terms of musical style, so I look forward to see what they have in store, regardless of its floppability in the US market.

(maximotv; pacificrimvideopress)